Mapo Tofu Tots

April 17, 2018

Mapo Tofu Totsfoodinmy

The tot ideas are still flowing here with only a month until the book launch. I had the idea for these because I wanted a super spicy and meaty sauce on the tots and this was the first thing that came to mind. Mapo tofu is one of my favorite all time dishes and it was great dumped on top of tots instead of served with rice like it normally would be. I used a firmer tofu than you normally would for a mapo tofu recipe so it could hold up on the tot pile, and I made the sauce a little thicker to cling to the tots better.

Pork, peppers, and onions in the pan with the oil that has been infused with Sichuan peppercorn.
Bean paste in the mix along with soy sauce and xiaoxing wine.
Let the tofu simmer in the sauce for a bit before finally thickening it.
Now that's a pile of tots!
The mapo tofu is such a great fit to be served on tots. The tots add a crispy element to the dish and the heat level is just perfect.
The gravy and tofo combo with the crispy tots almost makes this feel like tot poutine with certain bites.

Mapo Tofu Tots

60tots

2tablespoonsSichuan Peppercorns

2tablespoonsVegetable Oil

1smallOniondiced

3long hot red and green chilesdiced

1/2poundGround Pork

1tablespoonGrated Garlic

1tablespoonGrated Ginger

2tablespoonsFermented Bean Paste

3tablespoonsXiaoxing Wine

2tablespoonsSoy Sauce

1cupChicken Stock

1overflowing cupcubed firm tofu

1teaspoonCornstarch

chopped scallions and more sliced chiles

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450. Place the tots on a baking sheet and toss with a splash of oil and pinch of salt. Bake about 15 minutes, remove from oven and flip, then bake another 5 to 10 minutes until crispy and hot.

Grind half of the Sichuan peppers into a powder. Take the other half and toss them into a pan with the vegetable oil. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove the peppers from the oil.

Add the onion, hot peppers, and pork to the oil and turn the heat up. Cook 10 minutes until lightly browned and the pork is cooked through and broken up.

Add the garlic and ginger and cook 2 minutes. Add in the bean paste, wine, soy sauce, and stock. Stir to combine. Add in the tofu and simmer for 20 minutes.

Mix the cornstarch with water and add a little at a time to the tofu mixture until the sauce reaches the desired thickness.

Put the tots on a plate and pour the tofu mixture on top. Top with scallions and chile peppers and serve with lots of forks.